Visiting Southeast Asia on Celebrity
New countries: Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia
Last week, I shared about our ship. This week, I'll share about our ports of call:
Before you leave:
Secure your visas. We needed the Singapore Arrival Card and Indonesia Visa.
Check with a travel nurse
Prepare for the weather.
Budget for laundry or bring supplies to ring out clothes in the sink and hooks to hang it up.
Fans are a must. I prefer fans that charge with a USB so we don't have to carry batteries. I like the neck fans to keep my hands free.
It was a very easy arrival into Singapore with e-gates. Your arrival card is linked to your passport. We didn't have to show ours. I recommend booking your airport transfer through the hotel.
Our first port of call was Phuket, Thailand. We took a tender to get from the ship to the pier. We took a decent overview excursion to a couple temples and a cashew factory. Phuket is really all about the beach. I recommend trying the Thai food and getting a massage.
Our next set of ports were in Malaysia.
Langkawi, Malaysia - OTTERS! The best part of our day here was spotting otters as we walked down the pier. We took a rainforest hike excursion that was not great. It was really hot. The hike involved climbing over downed trees covered in bugs. The forest did not have a lot of biodiversity. The guide only talked about one type of tree for whole hike.
Penang - We were overnight in Penang. We took an excursion to Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Temple. Kek Lok Si Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Great places to visit. The second day we took a private guide to a small fishing village. We bought shrimp right from the fisherman and had a local restaurant cook it. This was one of my favorite excursions for the whole six weeks. If we went back to Penang, I'd spend more time exploring the jetty area. Chinese built a town on stilts in the water to avoid paying taxes.
Port Klang - This is the port for Kuala Lumpar. We took an overview tour. Next time, I would book a Kuala Lumpar on your own or a private tour in the future. The city had interesting things to do including a bird aviary, Chinatown, and the King's Palace.
Our last port of calls were in Indonesia: Celukan Bawang, Lombok, and ended in Benoa/ Bali. These were tender ports except for Bali. We skipped Lombok and hired a private guide for Celukan Bawang and Benoa. From Celukan Bawang, we visited Melanting Hindu Temple, Banjar Hot Springs, and Brahma Vihara Arama. When we arrived in Benoa, we visited Taman Ayun Temple, Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, and Ulun Danu Beratan.
Bali traffic is very slow. If you want to visit the beaches, be sure to check recent reports as a lot of plastic washes up on the shores. You'll need a sarong to visit the temples. They have ones you can borrow or our guide has some for us. Also be careful for what you eat - Bali belly is real. I wish I had paid more attention to how far away the attractions were from the ports, but we really enjoyed visiting the different styles of temples.
What questions can I answer about these ports of call? Are you ready to book a Southeast Asia adventure? Email Angie@TripswithAngie.com